Frugal Gifts - Why?

As time inches closer to the upcoming holidays, I started thinking about frugal gifts. Why do we want to give them? To whom do we give them? Where and when should we give them? How do we approach giving them? Over the month of November, I plan to write a series of posts giving my thoughts and ideas on the subject, as wells as ideas for frugal gifts to give.

Something about the crowds in stores over the holidays gives me the creeps. I hate trying to go out to buy milk, bread and toilet paper in those crowds, let alone trying to hunt down a reasonably priced gift for my kid. Wal-mart becomes a nightmare, with no cart to be had at the storefront, and about 7000 people all shopping at once. I've gotten hit with a cart, pushed out of the way of a display, had my foot stepped on, and been on the business end of someone's elbow far too may times. It is definately not a nice experience. This alone would be a good enough reason to make homemade gifts for Christmas, I think.

But there are some many other good reasons to make gifts yourself.
You can choose reusable containers for packaging.
You can use alternative or recycled papers for wrapping gifts.
You will feel a sense of pride at having made something with your own two hands.
You can spend less money, if you're diligent.
You can make one of a kind items for that hard to buy for person.
You can be almost certain that the recipient didn't get the same thing from another family member.
Items can be reused and repurposed, therefore giving our earth a bit of a break.
Food type gifts are often of better quality, because they have real ingredients that you can pronounce.
You can reduce your overall holiday budget!

Start now with thinking about the benefits of frugal gift giving. Consider what you may be able to make. If you have no idea where to start, try googling 'easy homemade christmas gifts' and start cruising the enormous amount of information on the web.